Poison

RACHEL DAVIS

ARTIST STATEMENT

The assignment for "Poison" was to create a piece that included a repeating design that occurs in nature. I knew I wanted to incorporate a butterfly wing because I've always found them so beautiful and interesting. And I also love painting portraits, so this is what I came up with! I chose to work in acrylic paint on canvas board. The meaning behind this piece is found in the relationship between the butterfly wings and the rough, distant appearance of the girl's face.

The specific species of butterfly I represented, the Monarch butterfly, is highly poisonous when eaten. So, I projected this idea of poison, both physical and metaphorical, onto the girls skin and expression. I find the juxtaposition between the beautiful butterfly wing and the poison it holds to be very intriguing and unique. I plan to further develop this general idea of poison in nature in the future! "Poison" is one of my favorite pieces because of it's attention grabbing colors and because of the questions that it provokes.